AP United States Government and Politics

Advanced Placement United States Government and Politics (or AP United States Government and Politics or AP US Gov or AP Gov) is a college-level course and examination offered through the College Board's Advanced Placement Program. This course surveys the structure and function of American government and politics that begins with an analysis of the Constitution, the foundation of the American political system. Students study the three branches of government, administrative agencies that support each branch, the role of political behavior in the democratic process, rules governing elections, political culture, and the workings of political parties and interest groups. [cite web |url=http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/ap/students/govpol/ap-cd-govpol-0708.pdf |title= Government and Politics United States Comparative Course Description |accessdate=2008-05-03 |format= PDF |publisher= The College Board|pages=9-13]

Topic outline

The material in the course is composed of multiple subjects from the Constitutional roots of the United States to recent developments in civil rights and liberties. The AP United States Government examination covers roughly six subjects listed below in approximate percentage composition of the examination. [cite web |url=http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/ap/students/govpol/ap-cd-govpol-0708.pdf |title= Government and Politics United States Comparative Course Description |accessdate=2008-05-03 |format= PDF |publisher= The College Board|pages=14-15]

Institutions of national government (35-45%)

* The major formal and informal institutional arrangements of powers
* Relationships among these four institutions, and varying balances of power
* Linkages between institutions and the following:
** Public opinion and voters
** Interest groups
** Political parties
** The media
** Subnational governments

Political beliefs and behaviors (10-20%)

* Beliefs that citizens hold about their government and its leaders
* Processes by which citizens learn about politics
* The nature, sources, and consequences of public opinion
* The ways in which citizens vote and otherwise participate in political life
* Factors that influence citizens to differ from one another in terms of political beliefs and behaviors

Organizations for public influence (10-20%)

* Political parties and elections
** Functions
** Organization
** Development
** Effects on the political process
** Electoral laws and systems
* Interest groups, including political action committees (PACs)
** The range of interests represented
** The activities of interest groups
** The effects of interest groups on the political process
** The unique characteristics and roles of PACs in the political process
* The mass media
** The functions and structures of the media
** The impact of media on politics

Civil rights and civil liberties (5-15%)

* The development of civil liberties and civil rights by judicial interpretation
* Knowledge of substantive rights and liberties
* The impact of the Fourteenth Amendment on the constitutional development of rights and liberties

Constitutional basis for federal government (5-15%)

* Considerations that influenced the formulation and adoption of the Constitution
* Separation of powers
* Federalism
* Theories of democratic government

Public policy (5-15%)

* Policy making in a federal system
* The formation of policy agendas
* The role of institutions in the enactment of policy
* The role of the bureaucracy and the courts in policy implementation and interpretation
* Linkages between policy processes and the following:
** Political institutions and federalism
** Political parties
** Interest groups
** Public opinion
** Elections
** Policy networks

The exam

The exam consists of two sections:
* Section I: Multiple-Choice (45 minutes, 60 questions)
* Section II: Free-response (100 minutes, 4 questions)In all a total of 120 points are attainable, with each section being worth 60 points. A penalty of 1/4 a point is given for every incorrect guessed answer. For blank answers, there is no penalty. [cite web |url=http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/usgov/exam.html?usgovpol|title=The Exam|accessdate=2008-05-03|publisher= collegeboard.com, Inc.]

Grade distribution

In the 2007 administration, 160,978 students took the exam from 6,306 schools. The mean score was a 2.67. [cite web |url=http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/usgov/dist.html?usgovpol |title=2007 U.S. Government & Politics Grade Distribution |accessdate=2008-05-03|publisher= collegeboard.com, Inc.]

References

External links

* [http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/sub_usgov.html?usgovpol AP United States Government and Politics at CollegeBoard.com]
* [http://www.course-notes.org/us_gov_and_politics AP US Government and Politcs Outlines, Vocabulary, Case Briefs, etc]